Film Agency For Wales awards $470,000 to three projects

The Film Agency For Wales has awarded $217,000 to Hattie Dalton’s Barafundle Bay. Dalton’s credits include Stoned and Layer Cake.

The film was produced by Margaret Matheson, Vaughan Sivell and Kelly Broad and was written by Welsh born writer/producer Vaughan Sivell of Western Edge. Independent is on board as sales agents.

BarafundleBay is a comedy about a young man with terminal cancer and three friends who re-forge childhood bonds as they take a last trip together along the coastline of West Wales. Rupert Friend, Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch will star.

In addition, $217,000 has been awarded by the Film Agency for Wales to Rondo Media for the feature film Driven by writer Catrin Clarke. Director Gareth Bryn and producer Eryl Phillips have attached Romola Garai for the lead role.

Finally, the Film Agency has increased their previous funding offer of $108,000 for Gabriel Range’s Little Matador by $36,000 to $145,000. The feature documentary, which explores what drives a number of extraordinary child matadors, is due to commence principal photography in April 2009.

Little Matador is directed by Sandra Jordan and Emmy Award winning Gabriel Range of the Borough Picture Company and produced alongside Ed Guiney’s Element Pictures from Ireland.

Pauline Burt, Chief Executive of the Film Agency for Wales said ‘These awards, totaling $470,000, demonstrate our commitment to supporting Welsh talent - especially producers, writers and directors - with a real breadth of material that has a keen eye on the international market.

‘Whilst we have relatively limited funds, these projects demonstrate that we have a lot of talent - and that, combined with a hands-on approach to facilitating projects wherever we are able, enables us to punch far above our weight.’

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